Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- irreverent
- playful
- energetic
- 90s nostalgia night
- action comedy marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film energetic and intermittently entertaining but undermined by a scattershot tone and uneven structure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Danny enters the Jack Slater movie, while Slater later crosses into Danny's Los Angeles and the film repeatedly plays with cinematic conventions.
Jack Slater's invincible hero persona and exaggerated crime-world rules are used to parody 1980s and early 1990s action movies.
Danny's idealized view of Jack Slater is challenged when the action hero encounters the consequences and limits of the non-cinematic world.
Nick gives Danny a magic ticket that transports him into the Jack Slater film and is later used by Benedict to cross into reality.
Films like Last Action Hero, and why
The Purple Rose of Cairo
shares a self-aware comedy built around crossing between ordinary reality and cinematic fantasy, with playful genre satire
The Naked Gun
shares an action spoof structure, exaggerated heroes, fourth-wall humor, and affectionate parody of blockbuster conventions
Pleasantville
shares a child-centered fantasy adventure in which a young protagonist enters a heightened fictional world and confronts dangerous villains
True Lies
shares a buddy-cop action-comedy format that mixes explosive spectacle with parody of macho genre formulas
Movie Details
- Director
- John McTiernan
- Release Date
- 1993-06-18
- Runtime
- 131 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (3119)
Cast
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Austin O'Brien
- Bridgette Wilson
- F. Murray Abraham
- Art Carney
- Charles Dance
- Frank McRae
- Tom Noonan
- Robert Prosky
- Anthony Quinn
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Last Action Hero about?
- A young action-movie obsessive and his supposedly invincible hero must chase a hit man across the boundary between movie fantasy and real life.
- What is Last Action Hero like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Last Action Hero as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Last Action Hero violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Last Action Hero as moderate.
- What did critics think of Last Action Hero?
- Critics broadly found the film energetic and intermittently entertaining but undermined by a scattershot tone and uneven structure.
- Which films are like Last Action Hero?
- Films with a similar feel include The Purple Rose of Cairo, The Naked Gun, Pleasantville, and True Lies.
- How long is Last Action Hero?
- Last Action Hero runs 131 minutes.
- Where can I watch Last Action Hero?
- In United States, Last Action Hero is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
